Hester Menke
Shiatsu is the most beautiful profession I could wish for. It works with heart and soul, it is enormously rewarding and it brings so much wisdom and joy to life to feel a connection with myself, the client and the big picture.
My interest in Eastern art of living and bodywork arose during my studies in Mensendieck remedial therapy. After this study I started a 4-year raja yoga course, which I ended after one year to go travelling.
In the years that followed, I was travelled in India, Australia and Indonesia where I worked as a remedial therapist with children with disabilities.
Besides the wealth of experiences and insights I gained from living in other cultures, Asia gave me the opportunity to study yoga, tai chi, chi kung, reiki and vipassana. I also learned shiatsu in a small village in the Himalayas.

I was struck by the beauty, simplicity and effectiveness of this form of therapy and amazed at what you can feel. The knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine, which shiatsu uses, fascinated me enormously. I wanted to make this my profession, so I searched the internet for shiatsu courses in the Netherlands. I still remember the excitement of that time. After all, it meant that I would have to exchange my nomadic existence for more permanence.
A few months later I met my beloved, a Londoner, in Nepal. In the following year we moved to Amsterdam together, where I visited an open day of Zen Shiatsu opleiding Amsterdam. I immediately felt in the right place and signed up for the training to become a professional shiatsu practitioner. I also bought a Mensendieck practice in Amsterdam Zuid. After I graduated, we had two children (now teenagers) and the Mensendieck practice became a shiatsu practice.
Although working in practice is an inspiring learning experience in itself, I keep on studying. In recent years, among other things, I completed the post graduate training for Movement Shiatsu. This is a style of shiatsu characterized by breathing and movement experiments in which the client takes a more active role. This form of shiatsu is particularly suitable for chronic conditions and trauma. It appeals to me because it allows you to support people through physical therapy in a process of self-examination. Self-examination is an important aspect in my own personal development and it feels natural and meaningful to be able to guide others in this.
I haven’t been travelling anymore, but something so beautiful has taken its place that I don’t miss it. You could say that every shiatsu treatment is a journey; )
Diploma courses
Zen Shiatsu Opleiding Amsterdam 4-year higher vocational training as a shiatsu therapist
School for Experiential Education, UK, Postgraduate Certificate in Movement Shiatsu
Education for Occupational therapist Bachelor, Hogeschool van Amsterdam
Are you interested and would you like to make an appointment? click here to go to the contact form .
